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Italica (Santiponce)
Unless otherwise indicated, pictures on this page © Marco Prins and Jona Lendering. Photos can be downloaded and used for non-commercial purposes, but you have to acknowledge Livius.
The emperor Hadrian ordered the construction of a new quarter with several beautiful (and expensive) houses. On this satellite photo, you can see this quarter of Italica. These elite mansions were decorated with excellent mosaics. This has been called the House of Neptune.
The mosaics contained pictures of all kinds of animals from the sea. In  the center, the god Neptune can be discerned.
A crocodile and a palm tree indicate that the owner was interested in Egypt. This was not unusual. Many Romans were interested in the ancient country along the Nile. Italica had a temple dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Isis. This tells something about the international culture of ancient Andalusia
The ibis and the two pygmies show that the owner also had an interest in all things African. Similar scenes, although of a higher quality, can be found in the Villa Selene near Lepcis Magna in Libya (more...).
A labyrinth, also in the House of Neptune.
Archaeologists have called this urban villa House of the Birds.
The mosaic with the birds.
A detail of the bird mosaic.
And another, more abstract mosaic.
This mosaic shows a planetarium. It is a remarkable piece of art. On similar mosaics, the Sun is in the center, but here it is top right. Anti-clockwise, we see the Moon (top), Mars (with a helmet), Mercury, Jupiter (bottom), and Saturn (damaged). In the center is Venus.
There is simply no system in the arrangement, unless it had an astrological significance that is no longer understood. This detail shows Jupiter, the supreme god.
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© Jona Lendering for
Livius.Org, 2003
Revision: 9 June 2007
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